Month: March 2014

ClassPass is here!

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So, if you’ve been reading this little blog or following me on Instagram or Twitter, I’m sure you’ve seen lots of ClassPass talk, right? Have you heard of it? I was contacted by a rep a few months ago telling me about the program and from that minute on, I knew it was exactly what I’ve been looking for.

classpass

It’s no shocker that I love taking classes at “boutique” studios. From Exhale Spa to Recycle to Flywheel to Pure Barre, I’ve tried a number of studios in Boston that fall into this category and I have never been disappointed. I think the instructors are amazing, I think the exercises are a nice change of pace and it’s just fun to try something new. However, since I have gym memberships to 3 gyms, I can’t really justify getting memberships or passes to those types of gyms. They’re expensive and I’d never know which one to pick since I love them all.

That’s where ClassPass comes in. ClassPass is a month membership that allows you to take 10 classes as various boutique studios in Boston. It’s just $99 a month so that means it is less than $10/class, which is about a third of the price these classes usually cost. Boston has over 27 participating locations in Boston right now, and that number keeps increasing. The locations vary from barre to boot camp to indoor cycling to pilates… basically, you name it and you can find a studio that will fit what you’re looking for. The only restriction is you cannot visit one studio more than 3 times in a month because they want to encourage you to try new studios and if you’re going to visit a studio more than 3 times in a month, you should probably just get a membership or book of classes there, right?

Last week, they hosted an amazing launch at Flywheel to get everyone excited about the program.

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The room was packed and the instructor, Ann, was AMAZING (as I’ve said before). Seriously, her music was on point, her teaching style and enthusiasm and spunk were perfect. She was totally jamming out on her bike and I loved it! It also helped that the class was full (literally, over 40 people) of fitness loving ladies (and a few guys). I was literally sweating as much as I do in hot yoga and was happy with the fact I came in 6th place out of 20+ people (they split the score board into two sides). I feel like I’m starting to really get the hang of spinning and I love it more with each time I go.

After the class, we were treated with some snacks from Sweetgreen, which I am now obsessed with. The kale salads were absolutely delicious and the smoothies were so good I had two of each (hey- I was hungry after class!).

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Not only were we provided snacks, but we walked away with a pretty sweet swag bag!

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It didn’t take me long to wear the shirt… I rocked it the following day when teaching my UXF Burn class.

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I’m a sucker for free swag, but this was an especially exciting goodie bag! Big thanks to ClassPass 🙂

ClassPass was nice enough to offer me a membership for the month to try it out and spread the word (THANK YOU!!!). So far, I’ve been to Exhale and I am going to Velo City tonight for a 45 minute indoor cycling class. It’s fun to have the opportunity to try out various studios in and around the Boston area. I foresee myself purchasing month memberships on my own after this month is up because it really pays for itself just after 3 visits! If you’re interested in checking it out, head on over to their site.

Questions for you: What’s your favorite “boutique” studio in Boston? Have you heard of ClassPass? Is it something you think you would be interested in?

This Week: Workouts (lighter week!), Things I’m looking forward to and Giveaway winner!

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Good morning, friends! Who else had a little trouble getting up today? Don’t get me wrong, I love the “spring ahead” time change when it’s 6pm and still light out, but it’s hard the first few days when it comes to sleep!

How were your workouts last week? Mine were good, but there were too many. Teaching 7 classes in 5 days is really just too much for me. Luckily, it was just a one-off week where I happened to have a few subbing opportunities and it was my “on” week for both of my non-weekly classes, so it’s not something I will have to do again. I’m only teaching 3 classes this week which is a nice thought!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- Big day! I taught my first 6am Muscle Work class, which went SO well. I was so nervous, but I ended up really liking the morning class and everyone thought I was tough, but loved it- win, win! After work, I subbed a kickboxing class at the Watertown BSC.
  • Tuesday- I went to the Class Pass launch party at Flywheel, which was amazing. The first class I went to was ok, but this one was SO good. I left there as sweaty as I do when I leave hot yoga… loved it! More on Class Pass later… it’s my newest obsession 😉

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  • Wednesday- I ran 3 miles on the treadmill before I taught UXF Burn.

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Rocking my new swag!

  • Thursday- I taught SHRED and Kickboxing.
  • Friday- Rest 🙂 Much needed, might I add! I had to go to the office, so I did walk a bit, but that’s all.
  • Saturday- Double number 3 of the week… whoops. I taught kickboxing (great class!!) and then I went to Exhale Spa with my sister (using my Class Pass!!) for a Core Fusion Cardio class. It was just as good as I remember it being. We were both beat by the end 🙂

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  • Sunday- I taught UXF Burn at the Allston BSC. I didn’t want to do the class, but there were only 3 people so I didn’t really have a choice.

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I’m not sure. I’m thinking probably a light cardio workout. I wanted to use my ClassPass somewhere, but I’m not sure that will work out.
  • Tuesday- I’d like to go to the Muscle Work class during the day at work so I can go home after work.
  • Wednesday- I’m thinking cardio and then teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- Teaching SHRED and then Kickboxing
  • Friday- Not sure. I might try to get to a class somewhere with my Class Pass membership, otherwise it will be a rest day.
  • Saturday- I’m thinking Flywheel or Recycle 🙂
  • Sunday- Not sure, again. Maybe Barry’s? Maybe a barre class? We will see.  It’s nice that my workouts are so flexible this week!

Things I’m Looking Forward To

FREE TIME!!! Last week was great, but it was literally go-go-go the whole week and weekend and you know what? I’m just tired. I’m ready for a day where I can make up my schedule as I want and not have to be so strict with a plan. I think I’m getting together with my college girlfriends on Saturday, which is long over due. Also, it’s St. Patty’s day weekend, so I may head to Southie for the parade on Sunday? We’ll see!

Giveaway Winner!!!

I know most of you probably skipped through all of the other stuff just to get to this. I can’t say I blame you- the bag is absolutely gorgeous and I totally wish I could’ve won it. Thank you so much to everyone for entering and “liking” PJ’s and Burpees to Bubbly on Facebook 🙂

The winner is Jessica, aka “Gluten Free Boston Girl!

gfbostongirl said:

I can’t wait for the warm weather and to run outside again!! (I like you on FB!)

Congrats, girl! Send me your mailing address so I can ship you your bag! burpeestobubbly {at}gmail {dot} com.

And, that’s it! I hope you all have a great start to the week 🙂

Questions for you: How many workouts do you like to fit in in a week? What was your favorite workout last week? Did any leave you sore?

Fruit & Yogurt “Sliders”- An easy and healthy party treat!

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Happy Friday, everyone!! Thanks to everyone who’s entered the PJ’s Unique Peek Boutique: Bag Giveaway! I’m so jealous- I totally want that bag! You have until Sunday, so if you haven’t entered, there’s still time.

As I mentioned yesterday, last Friday I attended a gym friends party. I’m always worried about what to bring because I want it to be creative, healthy and something that everyone will like. I ended up whipping up this little treat in no time at all, and I think people liked it!

What’s great, is that it’s super easy to put together- and the combinations are seemingly endless!

fruit and yogurt sliders

Ingredients

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  • Cinnamon Pita Chips
  • 1 5oz. container of Greek yogurt (any flavor! I used Raspberry)
  • 1 cup (approximately- I didn’t measure) mixed fruit- can be fresh or frozen
  • Coconut sugar

Directions

1. Pick out the biggest, flattest pita chips from the bag and place them on a cookie sheet.

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2. Top each pita chip with a spoonful of yogurt.

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3. Place your fruit in a food processor and pulse so that it’s chopped into little pieces. You can also just use a knife if that’s easier!

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4. Top the yogurt with a spoonful of mixed berries.

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5. Sprinkle some coconut sugar on the top. If you’re not serving immediately, keep these refrigerated.

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The pita chips ended up getting a little soft from sitting out with the yogurt on them, but I think I liked that because it made it seem more like a cookie or pie crust consistency. As you can see, you can play around with the berries and yogurt flavors based on your cravings or what you have on hand! I think this is a great spring/summer appetizer or dessert to bring to parties, don’t you?

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Questions for you: What’s your favorite type of slider? What’s your “go-to” party treat?

Weekending: Gym friends, Southie, How to prepare for a busy week

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My weekend recap is a little late this week, but it was a good one, so it’s better late than never, right? Although I was super tired on Friday night, I was excited to head to Needham for a gym friends party. A gym friends party, you might ask? What is that? Well, it’s when a bunch of gym-going, gym-loving ladies get together to eat good food, drink good wine and share horror funny class stories (most of us are instructors, so we’ve got stories for dayssss). Athena wrote up a really nice post about why she loves gym friends and I couldn’t agree more. It’s funny because when I was telling my mom about it on Saturday, I used the same exact “they just ‘get’ me” line that she used in her post. gym friends (photo credit: Athena!)

On top of good company, I love gym friend parties because the food is always delicious… and usually healthy! There were so many different appetizer treats to snack on- I was a happy camper 😉 IMG_6833 I brought a dessert treat that I came up with fairly quickly. Could’ve been a hit or miss, but, luckily, it seemed to be a hit. I’ll share it with you soon, but here’s a sneak peak: IMG_6829

I had so many people to catch up with! These girls all frequent the Oak Square YMCA as their “home” gym and get to see each other at least a few times of week, but I only see them every other Saturday if they come to my class. Womp. Needless to say, the wine was flowing, conversation was non-stop and before we knew it, it was time to do the Pink-themed Yankee Swap!

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I put together a cute little “relaxing night in” package which had an OPI 4 color sampler nail polish package, a candle and a bottle of wine. I wouldn’t have been mad if I went home with that, although I was SO HAPPY to go home with a stability ball. It’s been on my list of things to buy for a while now (for exercise and to use as my chair when I work from home), I just keep forgetting to get one. Problem solved!

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Big thanks to Liz for having us and thanks to all the girls for being such fun gym friends!!

Saturday started off my favorite way: kickboxing. Even better, was knowing a bunch of girls from Friday night would be there… they asked for burpees and I aim to please 😉

gym friends fb status

The rest of my Saturday was busy with lunch plans and then going to Southie to see my sister’s new apartment. Her roommate, Amy, bought a condo in Southie and they moved in on Friday night. I was a bad sister and didn’t visit until Saturday night, but I did come bearing gifts of Prosecco, Bud Light and an AMEX gift card, so I think that counts for something, right?! 😉 We grabbed dinner and drinks at The Playwright Bar since it’s literally a 3 minute walk from their new place. I am so jealous that they are so close to so many fun places!

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Another friend from home met us out, which was a nice surprise!

Sunday was a busy day. I wasn’t home for more than 5 minutes all day on Saturday, so I didn’t have time to do anything on my to-do list. But you know what? I survived. Funny thing about that! Between laundry, baking, cooking, grocery shopping, blogging, making workout videos and prepping for a busy week… Sunday was over in a flash!

I knew my week was going to be crazy busy between teaching 7 classes, going to the ClassPass launch, going to a wine tasting, etc., so I spent some time on Sunday prepping for the week to make it a little easier! I wanted to share some things I do to help make a busier week go a little more smoothly, especially when I have to be up and out of the house super early to teach in the morning.

How to prepare for a busy week

1. Food prep!! I can’t stress this enough. I don’t have the money to buy lunch out every day (or the snacks), so prepping my salads, fruit, snacks, etc. on Sunday night makes the world of a difference.

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Since I needed to be up and out the door by 5:30 on Monday, I even had to pack breakfast!

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Nothing exciting, but it did the trick!

2. Plan my outfit the night before. And, for me, it meant packing it up in my gym bag since I had to get ready for work at the gym.

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3. Plan my workout that I’m going to teach. If I don’t plan something out, I’ll keep thinking about it, so it’s better to just write it out and be done with it.

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4. Make a meal that can be reheated throughout the week, especially for the nights I get home late (pretty much every night this week). This ensures that I have a healthy, well balanced meal that I can eat within 5 minutes of walking through the door. What can I say? I get hangry!

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5. Go to bed early. There’s no better way to end the weekend and start the week than getting a good nights rest. I’m not used to getting up on Monday mornings in the 5 o’clock hour, so that will certainly take some getting used to, but having everything literally ready for me as soon as I wake up makes it easier!

Questions for you: What was the best part of your weekend? Do you have a group of friends that “get” you? How do you prepare for a busy week? Do you plan ahead and do prep work to make it easier or just go with the flow?

Wednesday Workout: 10-10-10 Pre-Flight Workout & A Standing Ab Workout

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It’s your lucky hump day today- I’ve got TWO workouts for you… and a video! *cue happy dance* 😉

Last week I had to travel for work and since I knew I wouldn’t have time to workout while I was there (really short trip), I decided to get up super early to get in a quickie workout before my 7:30 flight. Even if it’s not a long workout, I like to try to get SOMETHING in on a day of travel where I know I’ll be on a plane for a number of hours and then sitting in meetings for even more hours. It helps wake me up and give me energy to tackle the day.

So, I rolled out of bed at 4:45am and did this quick, 30 minute workout before my flight and felt great!

I split it up to be 10 minutes cardio, 10 minutes strength and 10 minutes core so that I could have a full body workout. It’s a little all over the place because I picked 10 different cardio and core exercises, but that’s what I needed to get me through the workout!

10-10-10 pre-flight workout

And… you’re done! I was actually sweating quite a bit by the time I finished this workout and I felt like I really worked all of the key muscles to work in a short workout… aka, this workout gave me a lot of “bang for the buck”.

If you don’t have weights, you can easily swap out some of the moves and replace them with body weight exercises. Think: Triceps dips, push-ups, Down-Dog push-ups, etc.

Most moves are pretty common, but some that may need explaining are:

Hammer Kicks
Supermans
Toe Touches
Windshield Washer

Let me know if you try this!

Next up: Standing Ab Workout

My kickboxing class on Saturday is getting so crowded that there just aren’t enough mats for everyone to use at the end for our core work time. Instead, I’ve been doing a bunch of standing ab exercises, which can be just as effective as core exercises done on the ground. This will only take you about 10 minutes to complete, which is a great way to end a workout!

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And, since I’m loving workout videos lately, I filmed one on Sunday for you guys to do if you want to DO the workout with someone (sometimes that’s the motivation you need to actually do a workout at home, right?). Again, my videos definitely need work, but it’s all good… that will come eventually! For now, try to focus on the moves rather than my mistakes 😉

http://vimeo.com/88025241

Questions for you: If you’re running short on time, what are the “must have” exercises you’d include in your workout? Do you prefer standing ab routines or mat exercises? Are you apt to get up early to squeeze in exercise before a trip?